I have been searching online and the forums here for any information local ordinances and regulations of ponds.
I live in Hunterton county in NJ and I can not find any thing? I would like to start planning and feel this is the best place to begin.
I have been searching online and the forums here for any information local ordinances and regulations of ponds.
I live in Hunterton county in NJ and I can not find any thing? I would like to start planning and feel this is the best place to begin.
In the planning stage
rule of thumb for your own protection and understanding.
A pond in legalize is called an "attractive nuisiance". In order to protect yourself from drowndings and liability, most rulings I know of ( and for your own peace of mind) insist you build a 6 foot gated fence and lock the gate.
When I built my pond in the then "county", there wasn'ty anything like that.....now that we're annexed to the city it is a regulation. Mine has a chain link fence ( 6ft) around it.
Dick Benbow
"The Koi Coach"
member Team Purdin
Call your zoning officer to find out. As stated above every town is different. In hanover township NJ, there is nothing on the books about ponds. In fact while trying to get information I had a hard time extracting the information. The zoning officer told me to keep it under 2.5 feet for liability issues. I asked if it was a law or just a suggestion turned out to be a suggestion. I even went as far as asking my insurance company. They saw it as no problem if I went 5 feet, it's not a swimming pool.
Now here is the kicker. Anytime you dig in your yard technically you need a grading permit. You also have to call a 800 number I think its called super snooper. It's a free service that alerts everyone to check your property to mark things out, water, electric, cable, phone, ect. I paid the 40 bucks for the grading permit. I have no good neighbors, I didn't want to have a machine at the house and have them call on me. I would have to stop all operations until it got approved and possible fine. They say you need grading permit if you plant a tree........
See if your town is listed here
http://www.generalcode.com/Webcode2.html#newj
^local ordinance
The next town over from me, they say you need a fence for one of those portable kiddie pools anything more than 12 inches of water is classified as a 'pool' and it requires a fence.
Last edited by Charlie Brown; 05-25-2009 at 11:21 PM.
A tip if you look at the above link. See if they have a section for private swimming pools. If they do, take a look under it for a definition
http://www.ecode360.com/?custId=PA08...d=5108907&j=13
^example
chapter 367 ARTICLE II Private Swimming Pools (§ 367-12 - § 367-21)
§ 367-12 Definitions
"POOL
Any structure or device located above or below ground, designed, erected, altered or constructed for the purpose of holding water, including swimming or wading pools, fish ponds, garden pools, architectural pools or other pools, including natural pools. "
One more link for you
http://www.pseg.com/customer/home/safety/dig.jsp
Whether you plan to plant a tree or new garden; put in a sprinkler system, mailbox post or fencing; install ground rods for electrical systems; or excavate for a home addition, you need to call beforehand to know where it's safe to dig. For your own well-being and the safety of our underground utilities, please call 1-800-272-1000 before you dig. It’s the law.
Only in Jersey????
I didn't need a permit for my first pond or my new pond in the making which is 7.5 ' deep. I did however need a permit for the building it will be housed in
Quirky l'il place here, I can't have any kind of a fence, but I don't see anything stopping me have a moat. Or several moats, for that matter
Yehah.
Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
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Talking to a code inforcement officer may or not may get you correct information. I was always want to see it in code and you ask to see the code for yourself and see if it applies for animal dwellings. VERY FEW code inforcement/zoneing laws would cover fish ponds. They are written for dwellings to be used/occupied for humans. Building a koi pond is no different than hanging a bird house from a tree in most areas. There was big post about this years ago. I said the same thing and several insisted I was incorrect, I ended up calling their local code enforcement to prove a point, it was legal there. I think it was in Houston, TX. Some places do have codes for animals or specific ordinances that would cover ponds. You should still check to see if they can regulate ponds that are only for fish use and not human use. We have several historic districs here that TIGHT regulations. You can not repaint the door on the back of your house the same color it already his without it getting reviewed. People put in pools as "koi ponds" in same district b/c neither zoning or historical board can touch them.
Last edited by Ryan S.; 05-26-2009 at 09:59 AM.
There seem to be several different requirements with regards to ponds from local governments, be it county or city. Usually, they don't have anything specific for "ponds" when it comes to the codes. So, most people you talk to at the city/county offices will throw it into a "pool" category and site those regulations. Yes, Jorge, you're correct to some degree. Some local planning offices say no more than 24" and some just don't care. Here in Calif, most require you pull permits for anything more than 18 to 24". Also, when talking to them make sure you specify whether it will be a liner or concrete pond. They consider a liner a temporary structure in many cases, whereas concrete is considered permanent.
Mike
I don't need a thing here as it's landscaping and is not considered a pool...
It's pretty area specific, most landscaping businesses can tell you.
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